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Investment Q&A

Not investment advice or solicitation to buy/sell securities. Do your own due diligence and/or consult an advisor.

Q: Hello Peter & co, I am going to start a half position in TWO out of Savaria, ZCL and Premium Brands Hldgs. This will be for long-term positions in a TFSA. Based on current info and prices, please advise which two you would favour. Thank you.
Read Answer Asked by James on September 26, 2017
Q: I am becoming more interested in debentures as part of the fixed income portion of a portfolio.

1) Doing the math on CSU.db it would not pay to buy them if they are called in 2020. What things do you look at to forecast whether or not a company would ever call them. Is calling them a rare or regular occurrence? I realize each company has different needs.
2) Are debentures normally fully explained on the company's web sites re terms and conditions?
3) Are there any other websites, publications etc you would recommend so I can learn more.

Thanks

Paul
Read Answer Asked by paul on September 25, 2017
Q: If you were still managing money, which oil and gas stocks would be the first ones you would put in your portfolio. I never seem to get in at the right time on oil and gas stocks and would like to buy low and sell high, not buy when they already have had a big run which I tend to do. Thanks so much.
Read Answer Asked by Helen on September 25, 2017
Q: I note that CPD is included in your Income Portfolio (with a unit cost of $16.19). I purchased a significant holding of CPD in Nov. 2012 (at $17.30), and am understandably upset with the current market price of $14.09 (i.e., down 18.5% on the unit price basis). I have held on to this ETF for the monthly dividend flow (which has continuously shrunk), and with the hope that, when the tide turned in GOC 5-year rates, the unit price would recover. While individual preferred share issues that I hold have shown a marked price recovery in recent months, CPD not so much! I am curious to know why you include this ETF in your portfolio while I consider it to be the worst investment that I have ever made! Do you envision a day when the market price will recover to your purchase price level?
Read Answer Asked by Doug on September 25, 2017
Q: Does previous day activity in foreign markets offer any clues as to the activity one can expect on North American exchanges or vice versa? For example, every morning I read about how the major foreign exchanges have performed and I wonder if they are reacting to North American news or do North American markets react to Europe/Asian news or neither? Although I don't trade frequently and usually don't worry about a couple of percent change in a share price before buying, does a really poor day on the DAX, for example, suggest that I should wait to buy on the TSX because our prices would likely drop as well (realizing that sometimes the drops are sector specific and sometimes they are overall drops).

Appreciate your insight.

Paul F.
Read Answer Asked by Paul on September 25, 2017
Q: In your response to Brian about ETF and market panic, you say that in a market panic an ETF might have to sell a stock to meet rememptions (kind of guess you meant redemptions !?). Could you explain further? I thought if individuals panicked and sold their ETF, some other individuals would be the buyers, rather than the ETF having to do anything re holdings, and that the total shares outstanding would not change. Isn't this part of what separates an ETF from a mutual fund?
Thank you
Read Answer Asked by grant on September 25, 2017